Rutgers Has Three Qualify For 2019 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships

And the there were three, as in athletes that Rutgers had qualify for the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships after regional competition this past weekend. Chris Mirabelli, Taj Burgess, and Reanda Richards will all compete in Austin Texas at the championship meet on June 5th through 8th.

Richards continued her stellar freshman campaign by winning the East Regional in the 400m hurdles with a new personal best of 56.31. It was the second fastest time run in the event in the country this season. Richards has a legitimate chance to win the national title after also clocking the second fastest time in program history, as she sits only behind Lori McCauley’s former American record of 55.69 set in 1982.

Mirabelli, a three-time All-American and Big Ten Outdoor champion in the javelin, advanced to Austin with a throw of 66.88m (219’ 5”), finishing ninth in the East Regional. It was enough to qualify as the graduate student is set to appear in his fourth NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Burgess, a sophomore, ran a time of 45.86 to finish eighth in the East regional, qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the second straight year. As a freshman, Burgess earned Second Team All-American status.

Overall, Rutgers had five women and eleven men compete at last weekend’s East Regional. Most notably, the 4x400 men’s relay team failed to qualify for Austin, finishing just 14th in regional competition.

For a recap of how Rutgers fared at the Big Ten Championships two weeks ago, click here.

We will have a full preview during the first week of June ahead of the 2019 Outdoor Championships, as Richards, Burgess and Mirabelli will compete for national titles and All-American status.